BetterThe envelope shows up in the spring. Your landlord is asking for $60 more a month. You don't know whether that's normal, you don't dare push back, and you're afraid you'll be told to leave if you say no.
Three things are worth knowing before you sign anything.
You have one month to answer in writing, starting the day you receive the notice, and if you say nothing, you are considered to have accepted. Refusing does not cost you your home: it is up to the landlord to apply to the Tribunal administratif du logement, and you stay put in the meantime. Finally, the percentage published by the Tribunal is not a ceilingit is a starting point for the calculation.
Starting pointThe notice of lease modification
A landlord cannot raise the rent whenever they feel like it. They have to send a notice of lease modification, within a specific window before the lease ends:
- Lease of 12 months or more3 to 6 months before the lease ends.
- Lease of less than 12 months1 to 2 months before the lease ends.
- Lease of indeterminate term1 to 2 months before the requested change.
The notice must state the new rent and, where applicable, the other changes requested and the new lease term. Keep it: the date you receive it is what starts your deadline to answer.
What changedThe calculation method since January 1, 2026
Until now, the Tribunal administratif du logement published a recommended average increase. That is no longer the case. It now publishes the average of Quebec's consumer price index over the last three years, and the calculation is based on that.
For leases beginning between April 2, 2026 and April 1, 2027, that base percentage is 3.1%.
Which method applies to you? The date of the notice decides. The new method covers notices of modification given on or after January 1, 2026. For a notice given before that date, the old method still applies.
Careful not to read that 3.1% as a limit. It is not a legal ceiling. Other elements are added to the calculation depending on the building:
- the change in municipal and school taxes;
- the change in insurance premiums;
- new services or facilitiesa pool built in the building, for example;
- major work, of which at most 5% of the expenses can be recovered.
In other words: an increase above 3.1% is not illegal in itself. It simply has to be justifiable with figures, and that is exactly what the Tribunal examines if you refuse.
A second percentage is circulating for 2026: 6.7%. It covers only the portion of the rent tied to services attached to the tenant personallypersonal assistance, home help, as in some seniors' residences. The Tribunal says it plainly: when no service of that kind is included in the lease, that percentage must not be taken into account. If it is applied to your whole rent while your lease provides no such service, that is worth checking.
The Tribunal puts a free calculation tool online. You enter your building's figures and get the amount the official method produces. It is the best benchmark against what you are being asked for.
The deadline that countsOne month to answer, and silence means yes
From the date you receive the notice, you have one month to answer, in writing. Three answers are possible: accept, refuse, or leave the dwelling at the end of the lease.
Doing nothing is accepting. If you let the month pass without answering, you are considered to have accepted the proposed changes, and the lease is renewed at the new rent. It is the most common mistake, and it takes no action at all to happen.
A refusal does not need to be long or clever. It has to be written, dated, and state clearly that you refuse the proposed change. Keep proof that you sent it.
The most common fearRefusing does not mean moving out
Many people accept an increase they find excessive because they are afraid of losing their home. That is not what the law provides.
One check before anything else: look at SECTION F of your lease. If you live in a housing cooperative, or in a building built or converted less than five years ago, and your lease contains that clause, the rule is reversed: refusing the increase obliges you to leave the dwelling at the end of the lease.
Two things protect you here. The exemption cannot be claimed unless it is written into the leasea lease silent on the point does not allow it. And for a new building, the lease must also state the maximum rent for the five years; if it does not, the clause cannot be held against you. The five years run from the date the building was ready for use, not from the date you moved in.
In every other case, what follows applies.
If you refuse and want to stay, your landlord has one month, from the day they receive your refusal, to apply to the Tribunal administratif du logement to have the rent set. It is up to them to take that step, not you. In the meantime, you stay put.
The Tribunal then examines the building's actual figures and sets the rent. It may confirm the requested increase, reduce it, or adjust it differently.
Housing committees and tenants' associations support tenants through these steps free of charge, checking a calculation, drafting a refusal, preparing for a hearing. 211 can point you to the one in your area: it answers 24 hours a day in western Quebec, and elsewhere from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Legal aid may also support you depending on your income.
Frequently askedYour questions
What rent increase percentage is allowed in 2026?
There is no legal ceiling. For leases beginning between April 2, 2026 and April 1, 2027, the Tribunal administratif du logement uses a base percentage of 3.1%, which matches the average of Quebec's consumer price index over three years. But amounts are added depending on the building: changes in municipal and school taxes, insurance premiums, new services, and major work. The percentage is a starting point for the calculation, not a limit.
I received an increase notice. How long do I have to answer?
One month from the date you received the notice, and the answer must be in writing. Careful: if you do not answer within that time, you are considered to have accepted the proposed changes. Silence counts as acceptance, that is the most common trap.
If I refuse the increase, do I lose my home?
No. Refusing an increase does not end your lease and does not force you to move. If your landlord maintains the request, it is up to them to apply to the Tribunal administratif du logement to have the rent set, within the month following receipt of your refusal. In the meantime, you stay put, and the tribunal decides.
What changed in the calculation in 2026?
Since January 1, 2026, the Tribunal administratif du logement no longer recommends an average increase: it publishes the average of Quebec's consumer price index over the last three years, on which the calculation is based. The new method applies to notices of modification given on or after January 1, 2026; the old one still applies to notices given before that date.
My landlord is applying 6.7% to my whole rent. Is that right?
That percentage covers only the portion of the rent tied to services attached to the tenant personally, personal assistance and home help, for example in a seniors' residence. The Tribunal administratif du logement is explicit: when no service of that kind is included in the lease, the 6.7% must not be taken into account.
Read nextRelated articles
Official sources
- Rent increase calculation tool, Tribunal administratif du logement (in French)
- Calculating rent adjustments in 2026, Tribunal administratif du logement (in French)
- Applicable percentages for 2026, clarifications, Gouvernement du Québec (in French)
- Lease renewal and rent increases, Éducaloi (in French)
- Rent increase: what to check, Éducaloi (in French)
- Tribunal administratif du logement (in French)
About this article. General and educational information, current as of the date shown. It does not replace legal advice suited to your situation. The applicable percentages are published each year by the Tribunal administratif du logement and change: check the current year's figures before taking any step. BetterWorld is not affiliated with the Government of Quebec.
Found an error or an outdated figure? Write to us: we correct it and re-date the article. Our texts are written with the help of artificial intelligence and checked against official sources before publication, but an amount or a rule can change without us catching it. If something here does not match what an official body tells you, they are right.